December was a busy movies & more month for me. First we will look at what I watched in December, followed by my list of favorites for the year. That list consists of the ones I enjoyed the most, which means many talked-about movies may not be listed. My list, my choices! Everything is rated on the basis of cans of tuna, from a low of 0 to a high of 5. Asterisks indicate things I had not seen previously. Enjoy and Happy New Year!
DECEMBER
158. Annie* (2021, NBC) – NBC ventured again into the challenging waters of a live broadcast of a classic musical and came away a winner. A star was born in Celina Smith, the young Black actress who was perfection in the title role. Nicole Scherzinger, Megan Hilty and Titus Burgess were outstanding. I thought that Taraji P. Henson as the evil Miss Hannigan was a little over the top but the worst performance came from Harry Connick Jr. as Daddy Warbucks. I thought he seemed ill at ease, and the fake bald pate was a major distraction. Overall, the telecast was terrific, worth seeing and then seeing again. 4 cans.
159. Dream/Killer* (2015, Netflix) – If you like those true-life mysteries on “Dateline,” you will appreciate this story about young Ryan Ferguson who spent 9 years in jail for a murder he didn’t commit. His erstwhile friend, Charles Erikson, told the police initially that neither of the teenagers was responsible for the murder of a sportswriter, but Charles changed his story and gave details of the murder that he said he didn’t remember initially because he was using drugs and alcohol. Though none of the evidence pointed to Ryan, the testimony was damning and both men were convicted. Ferguson’s father was determined to review all of evidence, much of which was overlooked by a zealous prosecutor. Gripping story and a warning that it could happen to you! 3½ cans.
160. Passing* (2021, Netflix) – This thoughtful drama is based on a novel from the 1920s about two women from the same background who live in very different worlds. Clare and Rene (Tessa Thomspon), both Black, grew up together in Chicago, but Clare (Ruth Negga) now passes as a White woman, married to a racist White man. Rene leads a privileged life with her Black husband and two young sons in Harlem. When we meet Rene on a day of shopping, she is trying to pass as White, using a large hat to shield her face and going into a decidedly White hotel for a cup of tea. There she encounters Clare, who immediately recognizes her, so they reminisce. But when Clare introduces Rene to her husband, it is immediately clear that Clare has sacrificed part of her identity to live her life as the wife of a racist man. Clare is drawn to Rene and begins to show up at her house, making friends with Rene’s children and getting a little cozy with Rene’s husband. Rene is content to sit back and observe Clare, who is the life of any party, as she straddles the line between being a proper White woman and enjoying her friend’s freedom to be herself, although Irene keeps the reigns tight on her own behavior. The movie was beautifully shot in black & white, as if to emphasize the two races portrayed. This is a slow, deliberate film that really made me think about the things we take for granted about our own lives, as well as limitations placed on us by society as well as by our own fears. 4 cans.
161. Brian’s Song (1971, cable TV) – It is simply not possible for me to watch this movie without tears in my eyes. Brian Piccolo (James Caan, before “The Godfather”) was a Chicago Bears running back who just happened to be paired with another RB, Gayle Sayers (Billie Dee Williams). Sayers was magical on the gridiron, and he and Piccolo were the first Black and White pair of teammates to room together. When Sayers blew out his knee, Piccolo was there to urge him on in his recovery, and when Piccolo was diagnosed with cancer, Sayers stayed by his side. Make no mistake, this is a love story between two friends who pushed each other and stayed true friends until the end. When Sayers wins an award and dedicates it to the dying Piccolo, I can barely swallow over the lump in my throat. As a sports fan, I have a bunch of favorite sports movies, but this one will always be special. 5 cans and a box of tissues.
162. Being the Ricardos* (2021, in the Movies!) – I have met the prerequisite for this advanced course by having seen every single episode of the classic “I Love Lucy” series more times than I can count. But, Aaron Sorkin, the writer and director, has some “splainin’” to do. Did he intend this account of one week in the life of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz to appeal to anyone under the age of 50? Are people under 50 even aware of Lucille Ball as the Queen of TV in the 1950s? Why would a guy who wrote such brilliant episodes of “West Wing” and other monumental TV dramas take on this project? Sorkin focuses on one week when Lucy finds out she has been outed for being a Communist at the time of the Red Scare in this country. The same week, Lucy also reveals to her bosses at CBS that she is pregnant with her second child – but her first as the star of a sitcom, which doesn’t sit well with CBS or her sponsors, Philip Morris. At the time, even the word “pregnant” was forbidden to be uttered on TV. But the overarching themes here are whether Lucy or Desi is really the boss of the show, and whether Lucy’s popularity and clout emasculated Desi, who was rumored to be a womanizer. I give huge props to Nicole Kidman for getting every nuance of Lucy down pat, from her body language to her facial expressions, and Javier Bardem as Desi and J. K. Simmons as William Frawley (Fred Mertz) also earn high marks for their portrayals. Lucy was truly a comedy genius who sensed and saw things in a script that worked and didn’t work. She also was a loving but no-nonsense wife and boss who knew what she was doing better than almost everyone else. 4 cans.
163. Moonstruck (1987, HBO) – No matter how many times I have seen this movie, I still find it irresistible. The perfect cast (Cher, in the role that won her an Oscar), Olympia Dukakis, Nicholas Cage, Vincent Gardenia, John Mahoney, Danny Aiello) in this slice of Italian life in Brooklyn are just perfect and so is this winner. 4½ cans.
164. Hoosiers (1986, Cable TV) – I went to a basketball game, came home and rewatched the same game online, watched another game, and that still wasn’t enough, so I watched this classic basketball movie. That, my friends, is the definition of a basketball aficionado (junkie). Washed up college hoops coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) gets a job coaching high school basketball in a small town in Indiana where they barely have enough players to field a team, no less contend for a championship. But good, sound fundamentals preached by the tough coach, combined with good shots and the addition of one key player, and the hicks from Hickory find themselves gunning for the title. No more from me. It’s dated, it’s corny, and it’s wonderful. 4 cans.
165. West Side Story* (2021, movie theater) – “Something’s coming, I don’t know what it is but it is gonna be great!” I know what it is – it is this movie. I’m such a huge fan of the original film that I wondered whether I would be disappointed by Steven Spielberg’s remake, but au contraire: I loved it. The casting (except for Rif, the leader of the Jets) was great, and Rachel Zegler’s Maria will be the start of a big career for her, I hope. The reimagining of the big numbers out on the streets of New York (especially “America”) was fantastic. Yes, it is dated, but so what? Maybe it doesn’t attract the younger audience, but take the film for what is worth, with its classic Romeo-Juliet story, the music, singing, dancing, color and excitement; I had chills every time they started a new number. And Rita Moreno, not just in some throwaway cameo but in a part with substance and a number to sing. What a treasure all around. 4½ cans.
166. The Reader* (2008, HBO) – Kate Winslet won an Oscar for her portrayal of a lonely German woman who has an affair with a 15-year-old boy in post-War Germany. Her Hannah is only interested in the sexual aspect of the relationship because she cannot engage emotionally with anyone and she harbors secrets she is not going to share. When the boy, Michael, encounters her eight years later, he also has a secret that could make a difference in her life but he refuses to share it, too. This is a powerful drama about the atrocities of war and how people had to face the decisions they made or didn’t make. This is not a light and entertaining movie – movies about the Holocaust never are – but worth seeing. 4 cans.
167. An American President (1995, Cable TV) – Andrew Shepherd is a regular guy. He’s a handsome widower with a 12-year-old daughter who falls in love with an unmarried professional woman, and all would be fine except that she is a lobbyist and he happens to be the President of the United States. Michael Douglas has made plenty of movies, but none that I like him in more than this Rob Reiner charmer. Annette Bening is the woman who creates controversy just by dating him — that, and they happen to be on opposites sides of a piece of environmental legislation. Aaron Sorkin’s smart script reveals the inner workings of the White House, where presidential privacy is virtually non-existent. Michael J. Fox and Martin Sheen as the President’s right hand men lend their own appeal to the mix here. This is just a feel-good movie about two adults falling in love, and I did — with the movie and with the characters. This American President gets my vote. 4 cans.
168. Premonition* (2007, Netflix) – Linda Hanson (Sandra Bullock) is in for the shock of her life when the local sheriff knocks on her door to inform her that her husband has died in a car accident. She rallies her young daughter and gets her mother to come to the house to help process the horrible news. But the next morning when she wakes up, Jim is in the kitchen with the kids, fully alive. Was it a bad dream? Did he really die? Because each new day he is either dead again or back to life. Why are there scars all over her daughter’s face? Why does she keep bumping into people who claim they don’t know her when they should? Can Linda stop Jim from dying in that accident? The suspense is killing Linda – and me! There’s much more to this movie, but you need to see it rather than read about it – if you like movies like “The Sixth Sense.” 3½ cans.
169. The Amateur* (2018, Netflix) – A talented basketball player only in the 8th grade is recruited by a powerhouse high school to play for them. This is the story of amateur sports that are not so amateur, as deals are struck for the kid by his father with his coach (Josh Charles) and a shady operator who provides things for him that his family can’t afford. 2 cans.
170. The Power of the Dog* (2021, Netflix) – If you are looking for a slow movie with sadistic masochism and sexual tension, here you go. Benedict Cumberbatch plays rancher Phil, a grizzled cowboy who lives in a house with his placid brother George (Jesse Plemons); I couldn’t help but wonder why they sleep in the same bed in such a large house, and this isn’t even the part with sexual tension. But when George marries Rose (Kirsten Dunst), a woman with a teenaged son who is clearly not a macho guy, Phil begins taunting the young man and you know this won’t end well – although the ending was not what I expected. This film is getting high marks from critics because of the cinematography and story, but while I admire the former, I was not a fan of the latter. It is slow and brooding, notching up the tension all the way. 4 cans.
171. Die Hard (1988, Prime Video) – The OG of the Die Hard series introduces Bruce Willis as NY Cop John McLane, going to meet his LA-based wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) at her office in the high-rise Nakatomi Building just as a team of terrorists takes over the place to steal $600 million in bonds. But they have never faced a NY cop like John McLane. This is one of the few action movies I like (on a limited viewing schedule), as Willis brings his snarky, smug character to life against all odds. The action is non-stop! The real question is whether to consider this film a Christmas movie. It takes place as a company Christmas party is underway, and McLane shows up with a big stuffed bear for his child but is it REALLY a Christmas movie? Please discuss. 4 cans.
172. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946, Prime Video) – I finally decided to give this classic movie another try after decades of neglect, and I really paid attention to its message of kindness and the worth in each of us. No need to rehash the plot, but this heartwarming movie gives you all the feels – though I have to admit that there were parts that were just annoying. The incomparable James Stewart is George Bailey, a man who never quite gets to live out what he thinks are his dreams, but he learns that his life is much better that he realized. His wife Mary (Donna Reed) is the real heroine, a woman who takes care of their kids and their home and, when George’s business fails, she does the first “Go Fund Me” campaign to save it. When you think that you can’t imagine life without someone who is so important to you, think of this movie and realize the value that each one of us has. 4 cans.
173. A Christmas Story (HBO Max) – I see this movie every year and relish Jean Shepherd’s tale of Ralphie, the boy who wants a Red Ryder Rifle for Christmas, despite his mother’s admonition that he will “shoot his eye out.” This is small-town America at its Christmas best, with silly, shining moments (the kid who gets his tongue stuck on a metal pole, the hideous leg lamp, the wild dogs eating the turkey, the younger brother who can’t move in his snowsuit) that bring a smile to my face every year. I wouldn’t miss it! 4 cans.
174. Don’t Look Up* (2021, Netflix) – If you think this satire is really about a comet crashing into and destroying earth, you don’t know the definition of a metaphor. It’s about climate change, people, that looming destruction that should have been addressed years ago but is conveniently shunted aside by the powers that be. So, instead, here we have two non-descript scientists (Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence) who discover a comet that will, in six months, collide with Earth. They think that wiping out the planet is a pretty big deal and they set out to inform, then convince and finally plead with the authorities about the reality that we are all going to die. The president of the United States (Meryl Streep; typecasting) isn’t all that interested beyond the effect the comet might have on the upcoming midterm elections. The frothy news media looks at the whole thing as a joke. The capitalists see the financial opportunities the comet could bring – setting aside the assurance by the scientists that a direct hit will wipe out the planet. The rest of the world heaves a collective sigh over the prospect of destruction. The movie skewers all of those entities in style, but it runs way too long. It reminded me of 1997’s “Wag the Dog,” in terms of the political satire, but too much of it is just silly. Meryl was great, as usual. 3½ cans.
175. The Art of Racing in the Rain* (2019, Cable TV) – Call it overly sentimental, call it too dramatic, or mushy or whatever. I’ll call this movie wonderful. Milo Ventimiglia plays race car driver Denny, who adopts a lovable dog he names Enzo. The pair are inseparable, until along comes Eve (Amanda Seyfried), the woman Denny falls in love with. We know exactly how Enzo feels about this new person in their lives, because his thoughts are conveyed via the voice of Kevin Costner – and this dog has a lot to say. He loves going to the racetrack with Denny and he understands how Denny strategizes his races. Denny’s friendship with Enzo withstands all kinds of heartbreak. To say more would take away the discovery of the plot, and I wouldn’t do that. I’m not a dog lover, but I loved Enzo and this movie. Milo definitely reminded me of his role as Jack Pearson in “This Is Us.” I cried so many times that I had to shut the windows so the neighbors couldn’t hear me. If you loved the nostalgia of “My Dog Skip,” this movie is for you. 4½ cans.
176. Love, Actually (2003, Freeform) – This was the first movie I watched in 2021 and now one of the last. It is one that I treasure and love to revisit. 5 cans.
177. The First Wave* (Hulu, 2021) – Unless you work in a hospital or spent time in the hospital in the initial phase of Covid, you cannot imagine the harrowing conditions faced by the patients and the medical staff that served them. This documentary covers the period from March to June 2020 at Long Island Jewish Hospital, where the staff was overwhelmed not just by the influx of patients but also by the challenge of keeping them alive. The film traces the lives of several doctors, nurses and patients to give a realistic view of how tough it was. If this doesn’t make you get vaccinated, nothing will. 4 cans.
178. The Lost Daughter* (2021, Netflix) – There hasn’t been a woman this ambivalent about motherhood since Faye Dunaway rattled the wire hangers as Joan Crawford in “Mommy Dearest.” The outstanding Olivia Coleman plays college professor Leda, a middle-aged woman spending her summer vacation alone in Greece, when she encounters a young woman with a fussy small child who goes missing on a beach. Leda finds her and becomes connected to her loud American family. The movie then shows a parallel track between the earlier life of Leda as a loving but unhappy young mother and the young woman (Dakota Johnson) who would rather chase the young man working at the resort than figure out how to be a good mother. Both women were frustrated by the enormity of the responsibility of being a parent and dealt with it by seeking happiness elsewhere. This movie will justifiably turn up on many award season lists, but it made me feel uncomfortable, so I can’t list it as a favorite. Maggie Gyllenhaal wrote and directed the movie. 4 cans.
2021 FAVORITES
TV Series
Schitt’s Creek (Netflix) – I caught up on all six full seasons of the loony, funny and bizarre Rose family, formerly rich, now getting by, and making us laugh all the way.
Ted Lasso – Seasons 1 & 2 – (Apple TV+) – Jason Sudekis is perfect as the affable soccer coach of an English team, heading a cast of mostly lovable and a few oddball characters.
Hacks (HBO Max) – Jean Smart as an aging Vegas comic in probably her best work ever.
Dramas, Documentaries & Reality Series
Pretend It’s a City (Netflix) – A 7-part and multi-laugh look at acerbic society observer and loyal New Yorker Fran Leibowitz, brought to you by Martin Scorsese.
Aerial America – Smithsonian Channel – Stunning aerial footage and the history of individual states and regions in this country, which has never looked better.
Selling Sunset, Season 4 (Netflix) – Blonde bombshell realtors and stunning houses combine with lots of drama and shots of long legs and high heels exiting expensive cars. Hard to stop watching once you start.
Love, Gilda (Hulu) – The story of beloved comedian Gilda Radner of Saturday Night Live, who left us far too soon.
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley (HBO) – Elizabeth Holmes’ great idea for testing minute quantities of blood didn’t work out quite the way she planned. PS – She is now waiting a verdict on her trial for fraud.
Burgers, Fries and Family Ties (Prime Video) – If I’m ever in Polson, Montana, I’m stopping for the aforementioned meal at Richwine’s Burgerville, a family restaurant providing comfort food and community to the people of a small town.
Hitsville: The Making of Motown (Prime Video) – If you don’t love Motown, you don’t love music. Berry Gordy had the magic touch.
Belushi (Showtime) – The frenetic life and death of comic actor John Belushi, whose work will live on while we wonder what might have been.
Tina (HBO) – Does she even need a last name? This documentary tells her story from singing in the church to surviving abuse to resurrecting her career. My hero!
College Behind Bars (Netflix) – The prisoners in this series are spending time studying for degrees in Bard College while incarcerated. You can’t help but root for them.
Human: The World Within (Netflix) – If science were taught this way in schools, we all would have paid more attention. Fascinating.
The Summer of Soul (Hulu) – Somebody had the foresight to record this documentary about a Harlem music festival in 1969, and it only took 50 years and Questlove to share it with the rest of us. Gladys Knight, Nina Simone, the Staple Singers, Chambers Brothers, Sly & the Family Stone are among the outstanding performers.
Once Upon a Time in Queens (ESPN) – A must-see for Mets fans and all baseball aficionados about the 1986 World Champs in all their good and bad moments.
LuLaRich (Prime Video) – There’s a whole story behind the making of an empire founded on the sale of leggings. Another rise & fall tale, and one worth watching, even at four parts.
Mare of Easttown (HBO) – Kate Winslett is a bedraggled detective in this miniseries with lots of suspects in the death of a local girl. I fell for every red herring. Jean Smart as her mother is outstanding.
Click Bait (Netflix) – Don’t start watching this mini-series unless you have time to see all eight parts. And don’t believe everything you see.
Guilt (PBS) – This 4-part English drama about two brothers who get themselves in deeper and deeper is full of mystery and black humor.
Movies
Let Him Go (Prime Video) – Kevin Costner & Diane Lane suffer a bad loss and want their grandson back.
Nomadland (Hulu) – Francis McDormand won the Oscar for this unrelenting look at the bleak lives (at least by our standards, if not theirs) of nomads, their lives and their connections with other people. Slow-moving, but with purpose.
I Care a Lot (Netflix) – Rosamund Pike is the amoral protagonist in this sly and cunning film on how to dupe, deceive and steal from the elderly. Don’t believe that she cares about anyone but herself.
Genius: Aretha (National Geographic Channel – though why here, I’ll never know) – Cynthia Erivo is brilliant in this biopic on the glorious Ms. Franklin.
RESPECT (Theater, but now streaming somewhere) – Aretha is important enough to have two programs telling her story. Jennifer Hudson was handpicked by the Queen of Soul herself to play her part, and she does her mentor proud.
CODA (Apple TV+) – What’s it like to have parents who are deaf AND hippies when you are a teenager and the only one in the family who can hear and translate?
The Eyes of Tammy Faye (Movies, but now available for rent on Prime Video) – If you didn’t know that Jessica Chastain played Tammy Faye Baker here, you’d swear it was Tammy Faye herself. When the religious get too righteous, dig a little deeper.
Dear Evan Hansen (Prime Video – rental) – I loved the Broadway musical of this story of a teenaged boy mistaken for a friend and celebrated by social media. Though Ben Platt looks too old now to be in high school, the story is still relevant and heartbreaking.
House of Gucci (Movies) – Singer Lady Gaga slays as the woman who ordered a hit on her husband, the head of the esteemed fashion House of Gucci. Campy but delicious.
West Side Story (Movies, available on streaming) – Exuberant, colorful, explosive and every bit as good (and in some ways better) than the original. Steven Spielberg can do no wrong. My favorite movie of the year!
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